Remote SMSTS course: Site Management Safety Training Scheme

The SMSTS course is CITB's five-day site safety course for site managers. We teach it live online on Zoom or Microsoft Teams, over two weekends, so you do not lose a working week. You join from home or work, anywhere in the UK, with no travel.

SMSTS stands for Site Management Safety Training Scheme. It is part of CITB's Site Safety Plus scheme, and Build UK endorses it as the standard training for construction managers. When you pass, your CITB certificate is valid for five years.

Who the SMSTS course is for

SMSTS is for people who plan, organise, monitor and control work on a construction site, or who will soon. For example:

• site managers
• assistant site managers
• supervisors moving up to site management

If you supervise a team rather than a whole site, our two-day SSSTS course may suit you better.

What you will cover

The course has four modules, set by CITB:

• Legal and management: health and safety law, the CDM Regulations, risk assessments and method statements, inductions, inspections and accident investigation
• Health and welfare: welfare facilities, stress and mental health, drugs and alcohol, hazardous substances, asbestos, dust, noise and vibration, manual handling
• General safety: setting up a site, fire, electrical safety, temporary works, plant and lifting operations
• High-risk activities: work at height, scaffolding, excavations, underground and overhead services, confined spaces

How the course is run and assessed

You join five full days of live online training on Zoom or Microsoft Teams, with your trainer and the rest of the group. CITB sets at least 37 hours and 30 minutes of training and assessment, not counting breaks.

You complete four core exercises, and your trainer reviews your work and how you take part. At the end you sit a 35-minute exam of 25 questions. The pass mark is 81% (26 out of 32 marks). If you score 72% to 78%, you may re-sit the exam once, within 30 days.

Card and progression

CSCS says SMSTS is not accepted for a CSCS card. You can keep your SMSTS certificate in the My CSCS app. A black CSCS Manager card needs a construction management NVQ at Level 4 to 7 and the CITB Managers and Professionals health, safety and environment test.

Many site managers take SMSTS and then our Level 6 NVQ in Construction Site Management.

To keep your SMSTS in date, take the two-day SMSTS Refresher (SMSTS-R) before your certificate expires. If it expires first, you must take the full five-day course again.

Dates and how you join

Each course runs over two weekends: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then Saturday and Sunday the weekend after. A new course starts every other weekend.

Where: Online, taught live on Zoom or Microsoft Teams. We send your joining link before the course starts.

Choose your start date on our booking page.

Entry requirements

There are no formal entry requirements. CITB says you should hold, or be about to take on, a site manager role, and some health and safety knowledge is recommended. If you have no health and safety management experience, CITB suggests the two-day SSSTS course first. You need good written and spoken English.

Questions people ask

How long is the SMSTS course?

Five full days. We run it over two weekends: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then the next Saturday and Sunday.

How long is an SMSTS certificate valid?

Five years. Take the two-day SMSTS Refresher before it expires to renew it.

What is the SMSTS pass mark?

81%, which is 26 out of 32 marks. The exam has 25 questions and lasts 35 minutes.

Does SMSTS get me a black CSCS card?

No. CSCS does not accept SMSTS for a card. A black Manager card needs a Level 4 to 7 construction management NVQ and the Managers and Professionals test.

Should I do SSSTS before SMSTS?

You do not have to. CITB suggests SSSTS first only if you have no health and safety management experience.

Can I do SMSTS at weekends?

Yes. Our SMSTS runs on weekends only, over two weekends in a row.

Next step

Book a date for your SMSTS course, or phone 01322 743726. You can also email [email protected].